The Good Book | Bible

The owner of a wordpress blog that I stumbled upon poses that question, 'Does GOD Love Everybody?', and supposes to answer it by focusing on the early history of the Israeli people. He begins by examining the stories of the Hebrews once they had been freed from slavery and attempted to claim the land GOD had promised them. He questions the murders committed by the Hebrews against those around them. I don't dare try to defend or explain that, it is GOD's business after all. And I have yet to know a world without wars and conflict. I have yet to know a world without people who vehemently despise and hate GOD, who could care less if HE exists or not. Do such people deserve to die? I would never utter such words as I myself could face similar judgement. But if GOD rejects you, then that is it. Who are we to question HIM. But if HE has chosen you and you then reject him...good luck (though I'm not saying all will be lost).

But back to the question - does GOD love everybody?

Where in the Holy Bible does it say GOD loves everybody? Where does it say GOD loves unconditionally? Because it says 'FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD?' are we to suppose that means everyone and everything walking upon it? You ever consider that it means, GOD loves HIS creation, so HE threw them a rope? Remember, the rest of it says, THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM (JESUS) SHOULD HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE. GOD's love is deep and unending, sure. But it is not unconditional.

GOD loves HIS creation, but many of us could care less about HIM. It says quite plainly in the HOLY BIBLE, GOD will reject those who reject HIM. Are we to suppose that Lucifer (aka Satan) is loved by GOD? Don't be foolish.

Before I give you my response to the blogger's post, here is a verse for you to ponder. It's in the Holy Bible found in Malachi 1 (NKJV):
2 “I have loved you,” says the LORD. “ Yet you say, ‘In what way have You loved us?' Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” Says the LORD. “Yet Jacob I have loved;
3 But Esau I have hated, And laid waste his mountains and his heritage For the jackals of the wilderness.” (If you want to know why GOD hated Esau, read Genesis).

Anyway, here is my response to that particular blogger's question. And I am not posting a link to his Web site because I do not promote ignorance of GOD and HIS Holy Word. You can find those lies pretty easily by yourself.

My friend. You are totally free to believe what you believe, just make sure you’re not embracing lies.

GOD does love the world… that is HIS creation. But that doesn’t mean it is unconditional. Show me in the Holy Bible where it says GOD loves unconditionally.

Have you not read that HE will reject those who reject HIM? As it says in Matthew 7 (NKJV):
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’
23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

And how about Matthew 10 (NKJV):
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

And take note of what else Jesus the Christ said about our Father's love for us in John 16:26-28 (NKJV):
26 In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you;
27 for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.
28 I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.”

Please take special note of that, as it is the conditional promise in John 3:16 that everyone seems to forget about. GOD loves us and will save us IF we believe that HIS unique son Jesus is the Christ HE sent into the world to give us eternal life. You have to believe to receive, my friends. You can't hang around GOD forever if you secretly hate HIM and if you hate HIM, you reject HIM and if you reject HIM, you reject HIS son Jesus the Christ.

Numbers 14 (NKJV):
26 And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
27 “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me.
28 Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the LORD, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you:
29 The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above.

Many of us know full well about HIM, but for our own particular reasons, we reject HIM. Does that mean HE now hates us? I don’t think so, my friends. And I am sure we are still welcomed at HIS table. But we have known HIM and have turned our backs to HIM. So perhaps HE has now turned HIS back to us (or covers HIS ears when we attempt to speak to HIM, or closes HIS eyes to us)… that doesn’t mean HE has forgotten about us, as we have surely not completely wiped HIM from our own minds.

GOD loved David, but punished him for his sins. GOD loved Moses and even took his body so that Satan could not gain possession of it (read Jude 1, specifically verse 9). But GOD would not allow Moses to see the promised land…the same Moses HE chose to lead the Hebrews from captivity and had wandering around the desert for decades… GOD forbade him from stepping onto the land (HE let him see it from afar, however), because Moses himself had disappointed GOD. Read it in Deut. 32:48.

GOD IS LOVE. GOD loves you. GOD love me. GOD loves the sinner, but hates the sin. GOD doesn't just love Christians alone. How could that be if none of us are born Christians? We were all born sinners. Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Just remember, the gift doesn't sit on the table forever...you must grasp it while you can.

Ephesians 2 (NKJV):
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)...

But GOD will not be mocked or made common. HE will rebuke those and punish and discipline those whom HE loves. No Christian expects that all will be well in their life… that them or their loved ones will not see death, oppression or illness. That is the world. If a so-called Christian believes that life will be made perfect for them and that all the pieces will fall into place once they turn their life over to Jesus the Christ, then they are still very much in darkness. Jesus did not die upon the cross and conquer death so that we could be healthy and wealthy all our days upon the earth… it was so we can have salvation…a perfect life after death.

Get it out of your head that GOD is some kind of puppet or statue in a church confined by walls or your wishes or will or actions. GOD is bound by no man or anything at all. HE will not bend for you. You must bend for HIM. If you are unwilling to do that, then I suppose you are lost. There is no compromise. HIS Way or the very broad high way that leads only to one place...eternal damnation.

And do yourself a favor the next time someone dares tell you that GOD loves unconditionally - ask them about Jacob and Esau.

I leave you with some words from 2 Peter 3:
1 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder),
2 that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior,
3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts,
4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”
5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,
6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.
7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

-Theist @ http://goodbible.blogspot.com


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I was reviewing the Book of Genesis recently and some new questions popped up as I was reading certain passages.

Specifically, I questioned the true value of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad, the Tree of Knowledge of Eternal Life, what sin is, and how the devil (it is the devil, right?) used the snake aka serpent to tempt Eve (formally known as Woman).

Since we partook of the Tree of Knowledge does that mean that we are like divine beings? And if we had partook of the Tree of Life would we be able to live forever? And why did GOD, the Most High, even create these two very special Trees if they were not for man? GOD and HIS angels (and whomever else there were) didn't need these two Trees, did they? So who were they for?

Keep reading...

I guess this is the part where we should look at the text...

KEY: (words like this are my own); the asterisks*** mean you should take special note; this [!huh!] means I don't get it; this [wow] means I'm amazed.

You're going to have to read along either online or with your own Holy Bible (I'm using NIV).

Gen. 2:
15The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden*** to work it and take care of it.
16 And the LORD God commanded the man***, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;
17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die***."

Gen. 3:
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made***. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,
3 but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "
4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman.
5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil***."
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked***; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

GOD soon shows up in the Garden of Eden looking for the man (Adam), and calls out for him when he doesn't see him. Adam then tells him he's hiding because he's naked. GOD wants to know who he knows he's naked. ...The circle of blame is rather interesting.

Gen.3:
12The man said, "The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it."
13Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."

Adam blames Eve. Eve blames the serpent. GOD punishes the serpent and puts division (hostility/enmity) between serpent-kind and humankind. GOD then punishes the woman. GOD then punishes the man. GOD kicks Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden. We don't know where the serpent goes...

INTERPRETATION
GOD didn't say 'I'm going to kill you if you eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge.' My guess is that GOD knew once man could discern from good and bad, that he would be conscious that his actions were either good and bad, then he would be held accountable for those actions. If here were to consciously choose to do something bad, he would be sinning...and the punishment for sin is death.

Look at passage from the Holy Bible where GOD explains who will and who will not see the 'promise land' based on their behavior and reverence for HIM... Deut. 1:
9 And the little ones that you said would be taken captive, your children who do not yet know good from bad—they will enter the land. I will give it to them and they will take possession of it.

Your children who do not yet know good from bad... that's an interesting phrase, isn't it? We all know that babies aren't born into the world knowing their left from their right, nor good from bad. They learn along the way. And we all know that once this knowledge is acquire, that despite discerning a good action from a bad action, some children (who eventually become adults) consciously, willfully choose to do bad. And we don't punish babies when they pee on us while we're doing a diaper change... they don't know any better. The 4-year-old you're helping on the potty who does that, however...

So it was with Adam and Eve - GOD made them innocent, not knowing their left from their right, so to speak. So HE would not hold them accountable for their actions, unless they willfully disobeyed HIM...Like if HE were to tell them that something they have done should not be done and they do it anyway.

Eating from the Tree of Knowledge destroyed that innocence - they now knew full well that either choosing left or right would either result in a good or bad thing.

They could choose to do good or bad and we humans often delight in doing bad. As in Gen. 6:5 The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.

We read in Gen. 2:15-17 that GOD made the man first and put him in the Garden of Eden, and told him not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

We also learn after this that GOD made the man a companion, a woman. We don't read when GOD told the woman the same thing about the Tree of Knowledge. It is implied, however, that either GOD and/or Adam told her this. But for some reason she thought the serpent had the authority to know what's what. Now, at no point is it written in Genesis that the serpent told Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. The serpent only gave her contradictory information, he lied and told her GOD was lying about her dying if she eats its fruit. He said GOD lied about the fruit because HE knows those who eat of it can become like HIM.

For the love of me I don't know why Eve didn't ask the serpent how he knew all this or if he had eaten any of the Tree of Knowledge's fruit himself. Eve must have been kinda dumb (gullible, to be nice), like Adam (who didn't recognize that this fruit looked different from the others)...innocent, right?

So, the devil (yes, the serpent was his chosen vessel) essentially tells her 'You can be like GOD'. Ironic, that's what got Lucifer expelled from heaven -- his vain desire to replace GOD ALMIGHTY HIMSELF. Eve, fully aware that her Father, the CREATOR, already told her not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge, chooses to follow her desire to be like GOD and eats of the Tree. Why else would she eat of the Tree if the only information she knew about it was that eating the fruit would make her like GOD? Satan didn't tell her it was nutritious and delicious or would make her beautiful or anything. The singular incentive was to be like GOD. Eve wanted to be like GOD... that's a big no-no. Perhaps that's why it seems she was held more accountable than Adam.

GOD cannot stand sin, so HE evicted Adam and Eve from Eden. Eve and Adam destroyed their chance of living in paradise with GOD. Imagine that, from paradise to hard manual labor. Adam lived 930 years (as did Eve, too... I guess).

And since HE had seen the desire of Eve's heart, GOD gave the Tree of Life special protection... else they might be convinced that they too should live forever...one Lucifer is enough. But what of Lucifer's power, you say. Lucifer has no power - only what GOD gives him. He cannot raise from the dead, make the cripple walk, turn water into wine -- Lucifer has no power. But, we'll save that for another blog post.

QUESTIONS:
My question is, if Adam was made first and had been hanging out in Eden for much longer than Eve, shouldn't he have known what the Tree of Knowledge's fruit look like? Shouldn't Adam, therefore, have been held more accountable? I suppose this goes back to why Eve chose to eat of the Tree of Knowledge when she only knew one thing about it - that it would make her like GOD (according to the devil).

But the eating from the Tree of Knowledge did give Adam and Eve a divine quality. Does that mean GOD lied? Nope. HE said if they ate from the Tree of Knowledge that they would die. HE just didn't go into details as to what HE meant. GOD and those with HIM (the hosts of heaven) are incorruptible. HE made man from the earth...a corruptible being. So what is GOD? - The ETERNAL SPIRIT.

Why does knowing that he's naked make Adam ashamed? How did he know that he should be covered? Are we to assume that the LORD appeared to him clothed? Adam must have seen GOD since it was just the two of them (besides the host of heaven and the other creations on earth) It says in the Holy Bible in Gen. 3:8, Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. A being can't walk unless he or she has legs, right? I suppose the LORD was walking around clothed when HE chose to appear this way (as he does in other parts of the Holy Bible).

As for the nudity question, I guess Adam and Eve were made to desire each other. You can't really be fruitful and multiply unless you want to start that process. So that goes to say that the fruit of their desire was pleasurable. We humans don't usually choose to do things we don't enjoy.

Why should I obey GOD or care what HE wants from me? GOD created us for HIS pleasure, not for our own - we didn't exist. Life was a gift and HE gave us dominion over the earth (another undeserved gift we totally destroyed). You respect, love and appreciate your parents, don't you? You're glad they didn't decide to abort you or even decided to procreate, else you wouldn't be around. So you hold them in reverence. Why can't you do the same for GOD, who made life possible?

BOTTOM LINE:
You should obey GOD. If HE tells you to not do something, you should probably not do it. Most assuredly, if HE has attached a consequence to this thing you're not supposed to do, HE will carry out HIS word and punish you. Usually when HE tells you to abstain from something, it's usually for your own good and to save you trouble and sorrow.

Don't give into temptation when you know that you definitely should not. Yes we are weak and make mistakes (definition of human), but don't be willfully disobedient.

And don't trust the devil. He's a liar and his only aim is to keep you from having a real relationship with your GOD ALMIGHTY.

-Theist @ http://goodbible.blogspot.com

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This is a post from my other blog, The Bible Means. It's a very relevant post, so I figured I would share it on here, too.

I was re-reading through the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) recently and realized something for the first time when I came across the verses of St. John 8 (KJV):

2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them.
3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst,
4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.
5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?”
6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.

Because of years of listening to sloppy preaching and biased theories, I had always assumed that this unnamed woman caught in adultery was Mary Magdalene, one of Jesus' top (female) disciples.

I had also always been taught that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute...and had heard many teachings that this woman caught in adultery was actually a prostitute. Confusing? It should be, because most of it is a lie.


To get to the truth of it -- using the Holy Bible alone, as it is the only true Word of GOD that we have today -- I examined several key verses. It didn't take much time at all to discover the truth.

First off, Mary Magdalene is first mentioned in Matthew 27:56 "among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons"... which describes the disciples who were watching Jesus' crucifixion. So, this is Mary Magdalene's introduction -- a dedicated, loving disciple of the Christ.

We learn a little about M. M.'s history in Mark 16: 19 "Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons." Two important things are revealed here. One, we learn that Jesus and M.M. met when the Messiah freed her from demonic possession. Lastly, the fact that M.M. was the first disciple to see the resurrected Jesus says a lot. Not even Jesus' mother Mary got to see him first... he appeared to one of his disciples...whom I can only infer from this text was a very important person to him. No, I'm not going the 'Da Vinci' code route by insinuating that there was some unrighteous intimate relationship between this disciple and the Son of GOD. I'm simply saying, just as Jesus favored Peter to help lead/create the Church, he may have first appeared in his resurrected state to M.M. for a reason.

So, to summarize where we are right now, Mary Magdalene had previously been possessed by demons; watched Jesus' crucifixion; and was the first to see him after his resurrection. No where has there been any indication that she was a prostitute or adulterer.

Before we continue, there is one more thing that I should mention. Mary was apparently from the town of Magdala, which is why she was called a Magdalene. However, there is some evidence that shows that even the name of the town was translated incorrectly. The Jewish Talmud (the books covering the law, etc. in the Old Testament) and other historical references indicate that the town was mostly likely called "Migdal" or "Magadan" (Greek manuscripts). Despite all of that, the town's name was ascribed to Mary just to let others know which Mary this was...since Mary was an extremely popular name during that time. As a matter of fact, it notes in the concordance of my Bible that there were seven persons named Mary in the New Testament, and it describes M.M. as 'A Galilean follower of Jesus.'

I would also like to note that the term 'prostitute' doesn't appear anywhere in the Holy Bible (KJV) except for in Lev. 19:29. 'Harlot' however is mentioned plenty of times, but nowhere in the Gospels do any of its usages make reference to or speak of M.M. or anyone in particular for that matter. It's simply mentioned as one would talk about a group of people, such as saying 'publicans' or 'tax collectors', you'd say 'harlots.'

Finally, this 'woman caught in adultery' was never given a name, nor do we know her town of origin. Jesus simply refused to condemn her and told her to sin no more. No mention of demons, Magdala, Mary or the like. This was just one of the many people in the Gospels that Jesus used to glorify His Father GOD.

So who was Mary of Magdala? -- She was a devout disciple of Jesus who helped support his ministry financially and I'm sure she did her part in helping to spread the Truth. She wasn't an adulterer. She wasn't a prostitute. She had been demon possessed before meeting Jesus, was healed, and took up her cross and followed him.

Where did this awful slander come from? Why would anyone want to purport such a lie and misconception? Is it just carelessness/ laziness that people continue to believe such a false teaching of Mary Magdalene? I don't know the answers to these questions, but considering Christian history, specifically in terms of the Catholic Church, I don't find it unlikely that these men who made the decisions of what books would enter the Bible, conducted the demonic Inquisitions, etc., would have an interest in discounting one of Jesus' top disciples -- a woman. After all, what were the other twelve's sin? Are we to believe that Peter, Thomas, Matthew, etc. were all blemish-free before Jesus? I think not.

And I guess I should note that I'm not so passionate about rectifying the image of M.M. because I think former prostitutes are deplorable creatures. Quite the contrary, because we are all sinners, and as far as I've read in the Bible, GOD is no respecter of persons when it comes to judging sinners. Sin is sin, and can all be forgiven...except for sins against the Holy Spirit of course.

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This is a little off form (already! I know), but I came across this blog called Let's Ask The Bible. It's a really well-meaning blog and I think it can do some good in the goal of exposing the truth about the Holy Bible to those who are looking for it.

Anyway, without judging the dude who owns the blog, I needed to challenge him in his response/explanation for why GOD is supposedly not a Trinity. Oh, and please visit his blog and 'challenge' him... he will appreciate it because he will learn some wonderful things, too (I know that's how it works with me!).

First off, let's define Trinity (as any dictionary will tell you):

# three: the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
# the union of the Father and Son and Holy Ghost in one Godhead
# trio: three people considered as a unit

How interesting... 'the sum of one and one and one'; 'three people considered as a unit'...

OK, so you know where I'm going with this, but why not do yourself a favor AND NOT JUST TAKE MY WORD on it, and look at the verses from the Holy Bible that support this concept - and yes, it is a concept!

But you will actually have to pick up a Holy Bible or use an e-version in some cases to follow along (don't be lazy; TRUTH doesn't fall into your lap!)

In verses like Gen 1:26 and Gen 3:22, who do you suppose GOD is talking to? You can easily look up the verses yourself, but GOD basically uses the phrases 'like one of us' and 'let us make'... This is of course right around creation. HE says, "Let us make man in our image..." Who could he possibly be talking to? Shall we assume that HE's talking to HIS angels? I don't believe I've ever seen in the Holy Bible that angels have power like GOD (they get their power from GOD, I know that). I'd like to know your thoughts on this.

Gen 1:26: Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Gen 3:22: Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”...

Also, we know that in verses all over the Holy Bible, especially the New Testament, that Jesus refers to himself as the SON OF GOD and others refer to him as such. There is only ONE SON OF GOD. And Jesus often said that he and the Father are ONE, that when you look at Jesus, you look at the Father. And remember, we call him Immanuel (which means 'GOD with us').

Isaiah 10:14: ...14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

Finally, we all know that GOD is Spirit and must be worshiped in spirit, as HE says HIMSELF in the Holy Bible. And there are many references to this: Holy Spirit, Spirit of GOD, Spirit of the Holy GOD, etc.

John 4:24: ...God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

So these are three distinctive persons -- holy persons and wholly unique. There is no one like them anywhere. But what do they have in common?

THEY ARE ALL GOD.

GOD, the Father, GOD the Son (Christ Jesus) and GOD the Holy Spirit. So therefore, GOD is ONE, yet three very distinctive personalities.

So was Jesus praying to himself when he said 'Father'?

Or was GOD talking about HIMSELF when he said 'This is my beloved Son...'?

And was Jesus saying he would send himself when he told the disciples that he would send 'the Comforter, the Holy Spirit'?

Yes and no.

There is one godhead. But it is comprised of three people. You could say GOD 'spread' HIMSELF among two other people.

No one ever said the trinity concept meant that there were three GODs... it only means that GOD has placed Jesus the Christ beside HIM and 'operates' in the Holy Spirit.

And yes, it is a concept... no need to believe it for your salvation to remain intact (though it would be difficult, I think). However, you cannot deny that Jesus the Christ and the Holy Spirit are both uniquely of GOD. GOD was first; HE then sent Jesus; and Jesus then sent the Great Comforter, the Holy Spirit (but the Spirit of GOD has always been...and to make it even more confusing, Jesus said he has always been, since before the beginning).

And don't you find it strange that GOD and both Jesus the Christ call themselves the Alpha and the Omega (in Isaiah 48:12, GOD says, “Listen to Me, O Jacob, And Israel, My called: I am He, I am the First, I am also the Last"...)

GOD is indeed ONE.

And look at Isaiah 48:16 (the section about Israel's salvation, the Light of the Gentiles, etc... this whole book is interesting... many chapters appear to have a communication of sorts between Jesus and GOD... check it out).

“Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; From the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord GOD and His Spirit Have sent Me.”

I believe the 'Me' is Christ Jesus, if you look at the whole book of Isaiah in context. And take note that it says 'the Lord GOD and HIS Holy Spirit'... sounds like two different people to me...

If you disagree, pleas explain why. If you agree, please explain why. If I've 'got it all wrong'... please explain why.

I'm basically encouraging feedback :)

- Theist @ http://goodbible.blogspot.com/

Here is another favorite passage of the ignorant atheists and Satanists that they use to try and illustrate that GOD delights in human sacrifice. It's found in Judges 11 and deals with a man named Jephthah who became a judge over Israel (they had judges before they had kings). Jephthah made a vow to the LORD before heading off into battle, and ended up having to sacrifice his daughter to the LORD.

But what kind of sacrifice was this? Did Jephthah kill and burn his daughter as a human sacrifice to GOD?

The willfully ignorant atheists and Satanists would say yes and give you only two passages to read, the first of which is:

Judges 11 (NKJV):
29Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, and passed through Mizpah of Gilead; and from Mizpah of Gilead he advanced toward the people of Ammon.
30 And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD, and said, “If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands,
31 then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.”

But why don't we see what really happened with Jephthah and his vow to GOD.

The only way to know the whole story is to look at the whole passage and not just bits and pieces. So here we go...

KEY: (words like this are my own); the asterisks*** mean you should take special note; this [!huh!] means I don't get it; this [wow] means I'm amazed.

Judges 11

1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, but he was the son of a harlot;*** and Gilead begot Jephthah.

2 Gilead’s wife bore sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out, and said to him, “You shall have no inheritance in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.”***
3 Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and dwelt in the land of Tob; and worthless men*** banded together with Jephthah and went out raiding with him.
4 It came to pass after a time that the people of Ammon made war against Israel.
5 And so it was, when the people of Ammon made war against Israel, that the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob.
6 Then they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our commander, that we may fight against the people of Ammon.”***
7 So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me, and expel me from my father’s house? Why have you come to me now when you are in distress?”
8 And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That is why we have turned again to you now, that you may go with us and fight against the people of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”
9 So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you take me back home to fight against the people of Ammon, and the LORD delivers them to me, shall I be your head?”
10 And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The LORD will be a witness between us, if we do not do according to your words.”
11 Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and commander over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before the LORD in Mizpah.
12 Now Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the people of Ammon, saying, “What do you have against me, that you have come to fight against me in my land?”
13 And the king of the people of Ammon answered the messengers of Jephthah, “Because Israel took away my land when they came up out of Egypt, from the Arnon as far as the Jabbok, and to the Jordan. Now therefore, restore those lands peaceably.”
14 So Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the people of Ammon,
15 and said to him, “Thus says Jephthah: ‘Israel did not take away the land of Moab, nor the land of the people of Ammon;
16 for when Israel came up from Egypt, they walked through the wilderness as far as the Red Sea and came to Kadesh.
17 Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, “Please let me pass through your land.” But the king of Edom would not heed. And in like manner they sent to the king of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel remained in Kadesh. 18 And they went along through the wilderness and bypassed the land of Edom and the land of Moab, came to the east side of the land of Moab, and encamped on the other side of the Arnon. But they did not enter the border of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab.
19 Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon; and Israel said to him, “Please let us pass through your land into our place.”
20 But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory. So Sihon gathered all his people together, encamped in Jahaz, and fought against Israel.
21 And the LORD God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they defeated them. Thus Israel gained possession of all the land of the Amorites, who inhabited that country.
22 They took possession of all the territory of the Amorites, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan.
23 ‘And now the LORD God of Israel has dispossessed the Amorites from before His people Israel; should you then possess it?
24 Will you not possess whatever Chemosh your god gives you to possess? So whatever the LORD our God takes possession of before us, we will possess.
25 And now, are you any better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever strive against Israel? Did he ever fight against them?
26 While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and its villages, in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities along the banks of the Arnon, for three hundred years, why did you not recover them within that time?
27 Therefore I have not sinned against you, but you wronged me by fighting against me. May the LORD, the Judge, render judgment this day between the children of Israel and the people of Ammon.’”
28 However, the king of the people of Ammon did not heed the words which Jephthah sent him.

29 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah,*** and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, and passed through Mizpah of Gilead; and from Mizpah of Gilead he advanced toward the people of Ammon.
30 And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD, and said, “If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands,
31 then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering."***
32 So Jephthah advanced toward the people of Ammon to fight against them, and the LORD delivered them into his hands.
33 And he defeated them from Aroer as far as Minnith—twenty cities—and to Abel Keramim, with a very great slaughter. Thus the people of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.

34 When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, there was his daughter, coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing; and she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter.***
35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he tore his clothes, and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low! You are among those who trouble me! For I have given my word to the LORD, and I cannot go back on it.”
36 So she said to him, “My father, if you have given your word to the LORD, do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, because the LORD has avenged you of your enemies, the people of Ammon.”
37 Then she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me: let me alone for two months, that I may go and wander on the mountains and bewail my virginity, my friends and I.”***
38 So he said, “Go.” And he sent her away for two months; and she went with her friends, and bewailed her virginity on the mountains.***
39 And it was so at the end of two months that she returned to her father, and he carried out his vow with her which he had vowed. She knew no man.***
And it became a custom in Israel
40 that the daughters of Israel went four days each year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.

INTERPRETATION

That was a long chapter.

1. Anyway, so Jephthah, despite his past (being basically disowned from his family by his (half)brothers because his mother was a harlot (whore/prostitute), is chosen by GOD to rule over the people and lead them in battle - victoriously. Now, not being a stranger to the power of GOD, Jephthah asked GOD Almighty to lead him as he lead the people in battle. In exchange, Jephthah promised to dedicate the first thing (he said whatever, not whoever) to greet him upon his return home to the LORD.

We must take note that some time before Jephthah makes this oath, it says in verse 29 that 'the Spirit of the LORD' came upon him. Are we to interpret that GOD inspired Jephthah to make this promise? I think it would have said that the Spirit of the LORD moved Jephthah to speak that vow. Based on other similar verses, it appears that the Spirit did not inspire Jephthah to make this vow; Jephthah foolishly took it upon himself to make such a promise.

As a matter of fact, it seems that whenever it says in the Holy Bible that 'the Spirit of the LORD' came upon someone, it was usually followed by this person accomplishing a great feat...READ IT.

Here's one similar passage found in Judges that deals with the people getting a judge:

Judges 3:9-10:

9 When the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the children of Israel, who delivered them: Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.
10 The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel***. He went out to war, and the LORD delivered Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed over Cushan-Rishathaim.

So again, it seems quite unlikely that it was GOD who caused Jephthah to make such a vow. And take note, Jephthah didn't expect that a human being would be greeting him, it's like he expected the family dog to come greeting him or something...not that that is any better.

2. So Jephthah makes a stupid vow, wins the battle and comes back home. Who greets him as he returns? - His daughter - his one and only child. It's quiet clear that he had only one child in his lifetime...because it says quite plainly 'besides her he had neither son nor daughter'. Now why emphasize this if it's possible that the man will have other children besides her?

And look at Jephthah's reaction? He tears his clothes when he realizes the stupidity of his vow! He will have to sacrifice his only offspring to the LORD. If he planned on having other children, he would have consoled himself with that fact. But this daughter was the only one carrying on his bloodline.

3. In verse 31, Jephthah says he will offer up to the LORD this thing that greets him as a 'burnt offering'. So Jephthah had expected that he would be burning a thing in sacrifice. In no way was it possible that a person would be given in burnt sacrifice to GOD. GOD HATES PEOPLE BEING USED AS BURNED SACRIFICE. It states so quite explicitly several times through out the Old Testament of the Holy Bible. It's quite obvious that instead of a burning sacrifice as Jephthah intended, he would now have to give GOD a living sacrifice - his daughter.

Again GOD hates human sacrifice and curses out those who do it. You can read about just how much he hates this pagan, satanic act: Hosea 13, Isaiah 57:4-6, Ezekiel 16:20-22, Leviticus 18:20-22.

4. Take note in verses 37 and 38, that Jephthah's daughter 'bewailed her virginity'. If her father told her that she was going to be sacrificed to GOD, why would she get upset about her virginity? For the very same reason her father got upset that he had promised his only child as a sacrifice to GOD - because she would never get married and have children! That means no offspring for Jephthah either - his bloodline is officially dead. If you've read the Old Testament at all, you know how important it was for women to get married and have kids (remember Abraham and Sarah and how bent out of shape Sarah was over not being able to have kids?). It's the same thing today with many men - the expect their bloodline to be carried on through their children. Well, no go for Jephthah.

5. So when Jephthah's daughter returned from her period of mourning, she was dedicated to the LORD...and the next sentence says 'and she knew no man' -- she was a living sacrifice (as many nuns and priests are supposed to be today). And since that time, it became a tradition in Israel for the young women to commemorate his daughter's sacrifice...a young woman not being able to get married and therefore have children - a definite dark cloud in that society during that time.

QUESTIONS
Why would GOD inspire someone to kill their own child in sacrifice to HIM? - HE would never do such a thing. If HE condemns people for burning their children in sacrifice to pagan gods, then why would HE have them do that as sacrifice to HIM? HE would never. GOD doesn't lie. HE has never told a lie because once it leaves HIS mouth, it's etched in stone. Therefore it is impossible for GOD to lie.

Why did Jephthah make such a vow? - Who knows. People make foolish mistakes all the time. He obviously never expected that he'd have to sacrifice his own daughter or any human being. And like Abraham, his child would be the most difficult sacrifice he could ever make - he only had one kid and his entire bloodline rested with her. Perhaps GOD made his daughter come greet him to test him and see if he would really keep his word. I don't know. But I bet you that if Jephthah had gone back on his word, he wouldn't have had a very successful run as judge over Israel.

THE BOTTOM LINE GOD is no respecter of persons when it comes to your past or where you live, your skin color, etc. All GOD cares about is your sincere devotion to HIM. You put yourself under HIS will, HE will never fail you. Also, based on Jephthah's behavior, it's best not to make rash promises...cause you can't go back on them. If you go back on your word, you end up looking like a turd, right? You have no idea for sure what tomorrow or the next hour may bring, despite what may seem so obvious to you... so don't say things you're not sure about really meaning.

- Theist @ http://goodbible.blogspot.com/

I have seen a post on another Web site about this same subject. The author has it titled: Ritual Human Sacrifice (Why does GOD want me to burn animals and humans?). That is probably one of the most ignorant and irresponsible statements concerning the Holy Bible that I've ever seen. Absolutely no where in the Holy Bible does the LORD GOD Jehovah instruct HIS people to sacrifice humans -- that is a blatant lie and slander! As a matter of fact, GOD curses the people because they toss their own children in the fire! HE hates things like that.

A very ridiculous example these atheists and agents of Satan use to make you - the passing visitor (who they know will most likely NOT pick up a Holy Bible and read) - believe that GOD 'delights in human sacrifice' is the passage of Genesis 22: 1-18. In the Holy Bible, this is known as the time when Abraham - called by GOD to found a nation for HIM (to inherit HIS creation) - has to confirm his faith... prove that he does indeed believe and trust in GOD.

How must Abraham prove himself ? - He must take his son to an altar and sacrifice him to and before the LORD.

You're like, wait a minute - what? Now, that's the only part of the entire passage from Genesis that the atheists will share with you... they give you no context, no history, no nothing. They just want you think that GOD is evil or wicked just on that verse alone. THIS IS JUST ANOTHER BLATANT, WICKED LIE of the devil and his atheists.

Don't worry, my friends, there's no way in heaven GOD would require any one of us to kill a blessing...and you will learn that Abraham's son, Isaac, was indeed given to him and his wife as a miracle blessing.

Let's look at it all in context as it is plainly given in the Holy Bible.

We first meet Abram (as he was called before he became 'father' to a nation...Abraham) in Gen. 11: 26, along with his two brothers (the verses before are all about his predecessors... it's like a genealogy list...read it).

We then go into Abram's story and are introduced to some important people in his life, such as his nephew Lot (of Sodom and Gomorrah 'fame') and his wife, Sarai (she too had a name change, which is Sarah).

In Gen. 12, we discover that GOD actually speaks to Abram and tells him to do something, and what HE, the LORD, will do for him in exchange:

1 Now the LORD had said to Abram:

“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.

2 I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.

3 I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

So Abram, in agreement with the LORD, packs up his stuff and his family and heads out...to wherever this place is GOD 'will show' him. Look at Abram's faith already - he doesn't even need to know specific details...he can take GOD at HIS Word. So, Lot (his nephew, whose father had died) and Sarai, of course, go off with Abram.

Now, in Gen. 15, things get a little interesting. GOD talks to Abram in a little more detail about how HE will bless him. Abram's like, that's great, but I don't even have any kids to inherit my stuff. My wife can't have children, we're both as old as dirt and my servants will probably inherit my stuff. How does GOD respond?

4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.”
5 Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
6 And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

Isn't that amazing! GOD tells Abram, 'Don't even worry about an offspring! Your children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren will be so numerous, it'll be like trying to count how many stars are in the night sky.

And how does Abram respond? - He says, 'OK. I believe YOU.' And he meant it. GOD was so impressed with his faith, HE said, 'Abram is indeed a good man, one I can trust and count on'...basically. Read it and re-read it for yourself to come to an understanding. Don't take my word for it.

In Gen. 16, we see how worked up and sadden Sarai is about not being able to have children. She gets so twisted about it, she tells her husband, Abram, to sleep with her maidservant (female servant). Abram does what she asks and this maidservent, Hagar, gets pregnant. Now Sarai's jealous! Boy oh boy... that's what we get for meddling, right? So, Sarai is all upset and starts treating Hagar like garbage (my interpretation for 'dealt harshly with her'). It appears that Sarai let her emotions get the best of her, again. Hagar takes off, which is probably what Sarai was hoping for. But GOD takes pity on Hagar, after all, she's with Abram's child. HE tells Hagar to go back home, everything will be OK and she'll have even more children for Abram. And HE tells her the one she's carrying already, Ishmael, will be father of a great people because of his own father. Read it.

You know how old Abram was when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael? - 86 years old. Remember, (or learn) GOD had already marked man to live only about 120 years (read it).

GOD pays another personal visit to Abram when he's 99, the Holy Bible says (read it). GOD re-iterates HIS promise, gives Abram a little more information, and explains his end of the covenant (or deal, if you will). The major thing was for every male to be circumcised (babies when they are 8 days old). So Abram circumcised Ishmael, himself (ouch! he was 99!) and all the men in his company (ouch! ouch! ouch!). There must have been a lot of crying and screaming in Abram's camp for days! But why circumcision? As I have recently learned (a good interpretation), it was an obvious, physical reminder (a symbol) for the people about their covenant with GOD. HE knew they'd need a constant reminder about their pact (Jesus changed all of that later, though). That very same day, the covenant was sealed, if you will, and GOD gave them new names: Abraham and Sarah.

And at some point later, GOD and two of HIS angels actually, physically stop by Abraham's home on their way to see what's going on in Sodom (and Gomorrah). GOD and HIS angels dine with Abraham (why not?) and GOD tells Abraham again that Sarah will soon have that child HE promised. Now, Abraham and Sarah were old...like practically dead :), so when Sarah overheard this old promise renewed, she laughed! She was like to herself, 'Yeah right! I'm way over the hill...ain't no way!' GOD heard her laugh and asked Abraham what she found so funny...nothing is too hard for the LORD to do. HE says again that she will have the child at the appointed time. Sarah was terrified when she realized that she was overheard and denied (to GOD HIMSELF) that she laughed. HE didn't get mad, I guess. GOD said to her, "No, but you did laugh!"


So do they have that kid? - Yes! Finally! In Gen. 21:
5 Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
6 And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.”
7 She also said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.”


And the part we have all been waiting for (but you needed the back story, my friends):

KEY: (words like this are my own); the asterisks*** mean you should take special note; this [!huh!] means I don't get it; this [wow] means I'm amazed.

Genesis 22 - Abraham’s Faith Confirmed

1 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!”
And he said, “Here I am.”
2 Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”***
3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.***
4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.
5 And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad (Isaac) and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.”
6 So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together.
7 But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!”
And he said, “Here I am, my son.”
Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”***
8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.”*** So the two of them went together.
9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. [wow]
10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.***
11 But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”
So he said, “Here I am.”
12 And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”
13 Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns.*** So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.
14 And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”
15 Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven,
16 and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son—
17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.
18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” ***
19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.


INTERPRETATION:

Wow. What a passage... it's almost like watching the most suspenseful part of a movie.

So, let's take a look at this 'evil' GOD who delights in human sacrifice (rolling me eyes).

1. The first thing we read in this chapter is 'GOD tested Abraham'. This is only a test! Why? Because GOD wanted to see if Abraham would really be willing to go the whole mile. After all, GOD was asking him to do a very important thing -- be the holder of HIS covenant...to keep a part of creation sacred and set-aside for HIM. Would Abraham be willing to give up the most precious blessing in his life, his first and only son with his barren, senior citizen wife, Sarah?

2. Yes, yes, yes! Abraham was more than willing. What a faithful, reliable man. That's the kind of guy I'd want in my corner. He's loyal. Now, I find it interesting in verse 7 that innocent little Isaac is like, 'Dad, we've got the wood and all that, but aren't we forgetting the lamb for the actual sacrifice?' Poor kid :). But Abraham says firmly, without hesitation, 'GOD will provide for HIMSELF.' GOD doesn't need help; HE IS GOD.

3. I must note in verse 9 that even once they got up to the sacrificial altar, little Isaac didn't fight and kick and scream when it became quite clear that he was the sacrificial lamb. He just went along with his father... now that's faith. He obviously trusted his father. Now, some of you may wonder how I can even glean such a thing from these verses. Well, the Holy Bible only includes what is necessary for us to know (on the surface, anyway...more things are often revealed when you sit down with a 'calculator'). First off, it doesn't say Isaac fought to get away. It doesn't say Isaac hated or was afraid of his father afterwards. There were no hard feelings between the two because they had just shared a very awesome experience. Was Isaac afraid? - Most likely. Who wouldn't be? But the little boy wasn't afraid of his father. Again, that's my interpretation. What's yours?

4. GOD finally shows up in the nick of time and tells Abraham to chill with the knife, it was only a test...and he passed (again) with flying colors. Think about it. GOD calls him from his home and tells him to pack up and leave, HE's going to show him a new land that'll be just for him (he was a nomad like this for decades!). HE then tells him to cut the foreskin from his penis (at 99 years old!). And now, he tells him to kill his own son in sacrifice. Abraham never hesitated or flinched with any of these things GOD asked him to do. And yes, GOD asked him, because there was no way GOD was going to get a knife or send some people to circumcise Abraham and his folks...not that it's impossible. But it pleases GOD when we choose to obey HIM. HE wouldn't have chosen Abraham and Sarah if HE didn't already know that Abraham was 'the one'.

5. So, a ram suddenly appears in some bushes nearby and Abraham is relieved... 'GOD will provide,' he says. He unties his son and puts the real lamb in his place. GOD renews his promises to the man Abraham with a passion (swearing by HIMSELF, the ultimate AUTHORITY). Thank GOD Abraham was so obedient and pleasing to the LORD -- 'all the nations of the earth' are blessed by him. Hallelujah!


QUESTIONS:

So how would a lying atheist or Satan himself spin this meaningful test of Abraham's dedication and faith? They may say, for example, that just because it was a test and on one died, that it was still an incredibly mean and evil thing to do. They may even say that Abraham lied to Isaac to get him to go with him. But nowhere in the verses we just read (and those are all of them...I didn't pick and choose to try and 'convince' you of anything) does Abraham lie to Isaac. He says 'GOD will provide' because he was quite sure of it...he even named the altar on the mountain 'GOD WILL PROVIDE'. As for if it was an incredibly mean and evil thing to do, you know where I stand. Where you stand is...well, where you stand.

Where's the love in this passage? GOD was so moved by Abraham's willingness, that HE beefed up HIS promises and said, you know what, the entire world will benefit from what you have just done in this single moment, Abraham.

That is love.

As a matter of fact, it is written in the Holy Bible in James 2 (read it):
20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?
22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?
23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the Friend of God.
24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?

What is up with the animal sacrifice? As I've written previously, the wages of sin is death. But GOD is not going to ask you to kill yourself to show you're truly repentant. Instead, he has you spill the blood of an animal, which takes the place of you. It sounds crazy, I know, but it makes sense if GOD finds sins so deplorable that HE would permanently have you removed from HIS sight if you sinned so against HIM. Animal sacrifice is quite common in the pre-Messianic era (started with Moses...when the people accepted GOD's covenant but was still sinning up a storm). That all stopped, though, when Jesus the Christ died on the cross - he was the ultimate sin offering. So we no longer need to offer these sacrifices when we sin - we can sincerely repent in our acknowledgment of the sin - Jesus already did the sacrificing.

Now, did Abraham sin by doing simply what GOD had requested of him? I don't know. Is that why GOD gave him the ram to kill? I don't know. It doesn't spell it out in the Holy Bible (to me, anyway). If you have a theory/interpretation, please share it.

THE BOTTOM LINE If you are loyal to, obedient of and trust in GOD, HE will take care of you. HE will count you among HIS friends. A real relationship with GOD is not supposed to be easy. HE will constantly test your faith in HIM. HE won't let you sit around and get complacent, as many Christians do. If you really believe in Christ Jesus, you should show it and share it with whomever you are moved to. And you must remember, as it is written, GOD will never give HIS people more than they can handle (look it up).

But here is some extra reading regarding the issue of animal sacrifices... and here's a verse to let you know, when the purposefully misleading atheists or Satanists try to convince you that GOD just loves the blood of animals and senseless sacrifices (you should read the whole thing if you want to know why GOD is so pissed off):

Isaiah 1 (NKJV)

11 “ To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?”

Says the LORD.
“ I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
And the fat of fed cattle.
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
Or of lambs or goats.
12 “ When you come to appear before Me,
Who has required this from your hand,
To trample My courts?
13 Bring no more futile sacrifices;
Incense is an abomination to Me.
The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies—
I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.
14 Your New Moons and your appointed feasts
My soul hates;
They are a trouble to Me,
I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands,
I will hide My eyes from you;
Even though you make many prayers,
I will not hear.
Your hands are full of blood.
16 “ Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.
Cease to do evil,
17 Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Rebuke the oppressor;
Defend the fatherless,
Plead for the widow.
18 “ Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the LORD,


Again, my brothers and sisters (we are all human, I hope), I'm not trying to convince you or convert you...I simply wish to show you the truth as it is written plainly (most times) in GOD's Holy Word the Holy Bible. GOD IS LOVE. GOD GETS ANGRY, SLOWLY. GOD GETS JEALOUS. GOD IS VENGEFUL. GOD IS JUST. GOD IS RIGHTEOUS AND HOLY. GOD IS PATIENT. GOD WISHES THAT NOT ONE WOULD BE LOST. GOD WILL NOT BE MOCKED. GOD DOESN'T GIVE YOU A PASS JUST BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU.

GOD will kick your butt if HE feels you have wronged HIM (HE's not some inanimate statue in a church). If you can't handle the discipline and correction, that's just too bad. HE WILL NOT TURN A BLIND EYE TO YOUR WICKED WAYS AND HABITS just because HE loves you. You will be held accountable. GOD IS NOT EVIL just because HE requires you to be faithful and true. Remember, this is HIS world, HIS planet, HIS creation. We own nothing...not even the air we breathe. HE can do what HE will with it all and you and I. Period.

- Theist @ http://goodbible.blogspot.com/

This is where you can suggest a verse, passage or 'issue' in the Holy Bible, and also ask questions. I'll try my best to address and respond to each comment to the best of my ability and to give you references when applicable. Personal questions are also OK - to a respectable degree.

Someone wanting to hide the truth of the Holy Bible from you may point out to you that GOD is a cold-blooded murderer by using 1 Chronicles 21. They may tell you that in this chapter GOD orders the killing of innocent people (and juxtapose it with the commandment 'thou shall not not kill'). But they don't ever show you the whole passage in context.

KEY: (words like this are my own); the asterisks*** mean you should take special note; this [!huh!] means I don't get it; this [wow] means I'm amazed.

Let's look at it 1 Chronicles 21 (NKJV):

1 Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.***
2 So David said to Joab and to the leaders of the people, “Go, number Israel from Beersheba to Dan, and bring the number of them to me that I may know it.”
3 And Joab answered, “May the LORD make His people a hundred times more than they are. But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why then does my lord require this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt in Israel?” ***
4 Nevertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab. Therefore Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came to Jerusalem.
5 Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to David. All Israel had one million one hundred thousand men who drew the sword (military men), and Judah had four hundred and seventy thousand men who drew the sword (military men).
6 But he did not count Levi and Benjamin among them, for the king’s word was abominable to Joab.***
7 And God was displeased with this thing; therefore He struck Israel.***
8 So David said to God, “I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing; but now, I pray, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.”***
9 Then the LORD spoke to Gad, David’s seer, saying,
10 “Go and tell David, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD: “I offer you three things; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you.”’”
11 So Gad came to David and said to him, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Choose for yourself,
12 either three years of famine, or three months to be defeated by your foes with the sword of your enemies overtaking you, or else for three days the sword of the LORD—the plague in the land, with the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.’ Now consider what answer I should take back to Him who sent me.”
13 And David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Please let me fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are very great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man.” ***
14 So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell. 15 And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As he was destroying, the LORD looked and relented of the disaster, and said to the angel who was destroying, “It is enough; now restrain your hand.”*** And the angel of the LORD stood by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
16 Then David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the LORD standing between earth and heaven, having in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. So David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces.
17 And David said to God, “Was it not I who commanded the people to be numbered? I am the one who has sinned and done evil indeed;*** but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, O LORD my God, be against me and my father’s house, but not against Your people that they should be plagued.”***
18 Therefore, the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David that David should go and erect an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
19 So David went up at the word of Gad, which he had spoken in the name of the LORD.
20 Now Ornan turned and saw the angel; and his four sons who were with him hid themselves, but Ornan continued threshing wheat. [!huh!]
21 So David came to Ornan, and Ornan looked and saw David. And he went out from the threshing floor, and bowed before David with his face to the ground.
22 Then David said to Ornan, “Grant me the place of this threshing floor, that I may build an altar on it to the LORD. You shall grant it to me at the full price, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people.”
23 But Ornan said to David, “Take it to yourself, and let my lord the king do what is good in his eyes. Look, I also give you the oxen for burnt offerings, the threshing implements for wood, and the wheat for the grain offering; I give it all.”***
24 Then King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will surely buy it for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing.”***
25 So David gave Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the place.
26 And David built there an altar to the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called on the LORD; and He answered him from heaven by fire on the altar of burnt offering.
27 So the LORD commanded the angel, and he returned his sword to its sheath.***
28 At that time, when David saw that the LORD had answered him on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there.
29 For the tabernacle of the LORD and the altar of the burnt offering, which Moses had made in the wilderness, were at that time at the high place in Gibeon.
30 But David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the LORD.

INTERPRETATION:

That was a lot to read...but most of it made sense and it flowed rather well, so we shouldn't have too much trouble figuring it all out.

1. David decided he would have a census in Israel. Why? - Satan tempted him until he gave in (we give in to temptation all the time, don't we?). Now why would Satan move David to conduct a census? The very first sentence in the passage says 'Satan stood up against Israel'. He apparently had a problem with Israel. My guess is that he hated that GOD had chosen a group of people -- any group of people -- to be saved from the consequences of sin (which is death and eternal damnation). Remember, Satan hates GOD and wants to be like HIM, but he can't so he tries to mimic HIM with his own church (followers; and remember, Satan has been condemned already, there is no hope for him). But he knows he can never beat GOD, so he goes after the next best thing - what GOD loves the most - you and me. Satan hates every single one of GOD's creation, even the ones who call themselves satanists...yet GOD still loves those and offers them the chance to change. We can talk about this particular issue later. In the mean time, reading this page may help (hit your mute button if you don't like the music).

2. Now, David knew this was wrong, but didn't come to the realization until a bit later. His servant Joab, however, knew it was wrong from jump (verses 3 & 6) and even said so to his King David. It appears, based on what Joab says to David in verse 3, that Joab thought it was wrong because there was no question that everyone in Israel was under King David's rule. Why is there a need to count them? Now that's just my guess based on the text.

3. In verse 7, we learn that GOD also thought the census was ridiculously offensive. Why? Perhaps for the same reason Joab found the census unnecessary -- everyone belonged to GOD anyway, why did King David think he needed to number them? You see, it's like a king makes you mayor of a particular area he owns. Then you up and decide that you're going to take count of the population. The king, once he found out, would probably be a little upset considering it's his territory and therefore his people, and he didn't give you permission to take a count. It's like, who do you think you are? I'm the king. Again, that's my guess, based on the text, of what may have angered GOD.

4. GOD is so angry, it says, that he sends an angel to kill thousands of the people. Why? I don't know. It's HIS business, but I will guess that it was to show David who the people really belonged to and who was the real KING. Again, my guess.

David quickly sees the error of his ways and his grave sin against the GOD who made him king over the people in the first place. He asks GOD to punish him and hold him accountable instead of taking HIS anger out on the people, who are innocent as sheep.

But look at what David says in verse 13. He pleads with GOD's messenger Gad to let the LORD know that he accepts whatever befalls him, but to please let it not be at the hands of other men. Why? David says let GOD deal with him because GOD is infinitely more merciful than mankind could ever be (to one of their own).

5. This chapter of 1 Chronicles appears a bit repetitive (which is actually common among books in the Holy Bible), so it may not be clear on first read at what point David repented of his dumb mistake (totally inspired by the devil). However, it you take a closer look, it seems that David only realized the error of his ways when the angel of the LORD started slaying the Israelites (that is usually when we realize we've messed up, huh? when bad things start to happen).

It appears GOD may have had the angel strike the people in different ways, I'm not sure. However in verse 15, when HE saw the devastation (and I guess HIS anger subsided a bit), HE relented and told the angel to stop destroying the people. But David still had some atonement to do.

6. David goes to a particular place in the city, Jerusalem, as instructed by GOD through Gad (verses 18-19). He ends up at Ornan's threshing floor (I guess something to do with wheat; and it seems to be just a designated area outside) Now, if you paid close attention to these verses, you see that Ornan tries to give the field (where the threshing area is located) to David. Why? Because David is his king and he could seize it if he wanted to anyway. But David says, no, he won't take something that doesn't belong to him and then turn around and try to pass it off to GOD. He will deal fairly with Ornan and purchase it. Honestly, I'm not too sure at what I'm getting at here, but I feel as if this passage is meant to reflect David's error in thinking he could number the people, who didn't even belong to him anyway. (What do you say?)

David built there an altar to the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called on the LORD. GOD accepted his repentance and peace offerings and put aside David's sin and, the angel put his sword away.

QUESTIONS:

What's up with the [!huh!] in verse 20? Well, my friends, if you were reading the same passage, it says quite plainly that the angel that GOD sent was very, very visibly standing above Jerusalem (I guess the dude was huuuuuuuuuuge). Now Ornan and his sons that were with him saw the angel - as must have everyone else in Jerusalem and possibly neighboring areas. Ornan's sons took off and hid (as most of us would do, I think), but Ornan just continued on with his work. That had me a little stumped at first. Like, why didn't Ornan run and hide, too? But you know, I think Ornan knew that it was obviously and angel, and that he was about GOD's work...as Ornan must have been affected by the deaths as well. So maybe Ornan's attitude was, well, if GOD wants to get me, HE'll get me... in the meantime, I might as well keep on with my life. That's just my interpretation.

My immediate question concerns why David built an altar and burned offerings? Well, an altar is a place (designated) where you pay special tribute to GOD. It's not just some corner or alley. But a place specifically chosen and purified in a way. The offerings mentioned were a bull and wheat (verse 23). Why? Well, the wages of sin is death. But GOD is not going to ask you to kill yourself to show you're truly repentant. Instead, he has you spill the blood of an animal, which takes the place of you. It sounds crazy, I know, but it makes sense if GOD finds sins so deplorable that HE would permanently have you removed from HIS sight if you sinned so against HIM. Animal sacrifice is quite common in the pre-Messianic era (started with Moses...when the people accepted GOD's covenant but was still sinning up a storm). That all stopped, though, when Jesus the Christ died on the cross - he was the ultimate sin offering. So we no longer need to offer these sacrifices when we sin - we can sincerely repent in our acknowledgment of the sin - Jesus already did the sacrificing.

What about the 70,000 apparently blames Israelites who died? - Dude, I don't know. But if they were innocent (that is found blameless in GOD's sight), they were not eternally condemned. GOD only condemns the wicked, as it says in the Holy Bible (you can look any of this up in the Holy Bible, if you feel so inclined). No, that doesn't make things better for the people left behind who may have missed these 70,000 slain...but that's not my business. If you got issues with it, take it up with GOD when you see HIM. But don't write HIM off. Remember, HE created us and everything else... so, quite frankly, HE can do whatever HE wants.

David accepted this, but knew full well that despite it all, GOD is a most merciful being. Remember, David knew he had to be punished, but he'd much rather GOD do it than man. GOD is infinitely more compassionate and merciful than anyone of us could ever be.

That may not be 'good enough' for you, but that's OK. It doesn't need to be. No one is asking you to become a Christian.

THE BOTTOM LINE What have we learned from this passage from the Holy Bible? Number one, it's usually a bad idea to give into temptation to do something you know is wrong. Second, don't pretend you have power or ownership over something that you do not...that is, practice humility. Don't puff yourself up and act like you're more important than everyone else. Remember, Jesus, the Son of GOD, had no problem washing his disciples' feet and encouraged them to follow his examples always. Third, when you've recognized you've done wrong, it's wise to acknowledge it to whomever you've committed it against and repent of it (whether it's to GOD or man...remember treat others as you would want to be treated).

- Theist @ http://goodbible.blogspot.com/